INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela is unlikely to ride on the opening-day program of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26 because of lingering soreness from a rib injury suffered on Nov. 26, according to his agent, Jim Pegram.
Valenzuela suffered three fractured ribs when he was kicked in the paddock before the fifth race at Hollywood Park. At the time, Valenzuela was tied for third in the standings of the Hollywood Park fall meeting with 14 wins.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Sunday's Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes at Hollywood Park has drawn a field of 13, seven of whom were supplemented for $20,000. Bettors will feel as if they need about that much money to sort out the trifecta in a tricky race.
The Starlet, which has an estimated purse of $459,250, has drawn five stakes winners - Hucking Hot, Mistical Plan, Quick Little Miss, Romance Is Diane, and Runway Rosie.
The supplemental entries are Baroness Thatcher, Down, Hucking Hot, Mistical Plan, Mystic Soul, Quick Little Miss, and Romance Is Diane.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Horses trained by Mike Mitchell will be quarantined in a detention barn before their races for 45 days beginning Sunday after one of his starters tested in excess of the permitted level of total carbon dioxide at Hollywood Park on Nov. 19.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Babcock Lake, a $100,000 Barretts purchase by trainer Jeff Bonde in May, has shown steady improvement throughout his brief career.
The 2-year-old colt has a win and two seconds in five starts as he enters a first-level allowance race at six furlongs Sunday at Bay Meadows. He has been the runner-up in his past two starts at this level.
There's just one thing working against him: Included among his opponents is Another Kris.
NEW ORLEANS - Music School, a talented 3-year-old A.P. Indy colt trained by Neil Howard, returns to action after being off since March in Sunday's feature at Fair Grounds, a second-level optional claiming race at six furlongs.
Music School, owned and bred in a partnership headed by Will Farish, won his maiden at Churchill Downs in his only start as a 2-year-old, then returned at Oaklawn Park in February to score in an entry-level optional claimer. After finishing fourth in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn, he pressed the pace in the Grade 3 Rebel before tiring.
MIAMI - Trainer Christophe Clement figures to improve on his already gaudy 40 percent win rate during the current session when he sends out Grade 3 winner Ozone Bere as the solid choice in Sunday's $45,000 Connie Ann Stakes at Calder. The Connie Ann, an overnight stakes decided under allowance conditions, is carded at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, weather permitting.
Ozone Bere will be getting significant class relief in the Connie Ann after facing graded stakes company in each of her four races since shipping to this country from Europe early this year.
Skeleton Crew does not fit the mold of what many people have come to expect from a horse that excels on the synthetic Polytrack surface. He is neither a turf horse, nor is he a late-runner who benefits from the surface's profile of being kind to closers.
Smoke Mountain turned in a strong performance in Thursday's feature race at Fair Grounds, leading every step of the way to win a fourth-level optional claimer by 7 1/4 lengths. A 3-year-old gelding by Smoke Glacken, he broke alertly under Robby Albarado and zipped through six furlongs in the excellent time of 1:10.37 as the 9-5 favorite.
